There is nothing like a burlesque show to get some variety in your life. One manages to get a little bit of everything, so on a slow Wednesday evening it was great to sign up for the grand Fringe burlesque show “Shake it” for some spice and excitement to adorn a drab humpday.

This show is usually hosted by the talented Minnie Andrews, who was unable to be there that evening. We wish her well and thank her very able subby, an affable and amusing young man going by the name of “Rogan Josh”. Rogan, or Josh if you like, was jovial and talented, cracking jokes at the audience and filling in time between acts while the able stagehand “Sarah” swept up and put things away readying the stage for the next act. We were almost waiting for her to join in and do something burlesque, so embedded in the stage happenings she was. Mr Josh (or Rogan, if you like) was not only an affable host. He also did some pretty cool physical comedy himself.

Once Covidly seated, some of the audience was regrettably blinded by one of the orange spotlights that shone from behind for effect, but in actuality simply shone right at face level for a large number of punters unlucky enough to cop a seat in the direct line of fire. This reviewer had to move shortly after the first act, sporting a retina-burn for about 10 minutes afterwards.

Spot-blindness notwithstanding, it was great fun with an impressive collection of acts, some clever, some risqué and some acrobatic. The crowd reaction was great for a mid-week show, I imagine it will only get better as the weekend approaches. We had whips, balancing acts, dancing, and even a half-naked woman stapling tassels to her butt and boobs. Way out there, yes, but that’s burlesque. It challenges and it entertains with the weird and the wonderful.

Personifying both the “weird” and the “wonderful” was the incredibly talented, graceful and, as we were to learn a little later, completely barking mad Tara Boon. Tara graced the stage twice. Her first act saw her tastefully dressed and dextrously balancing a flurry of paper parasols on her upturned feet. She was refined and classy, taking her applause with an air of charm. She returned to the stage again a little later stark naked, covered in butter, twirling about a dozen hoola-hoops while cooking popcorn on her head. Yes, you read that correctly.

“What could possibly go wrong?” asked Tara rhetorically as she plugged in the electric popcorn popper positioned atop her skull. The resultant manic movement of popcorn flying everywhere while she flailed about the stage was as hilarious as it was bizarre. Nope, you don’t see that every day . . .

This show will delight, entertain and bedazzle. Tara will also mess with your head, but in a good way. This show is a “must see” for your Fringe dwelling. You will never look at popcorn the same way again…